Do College Football Players Get Paid?

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If you ask a number of people if college football players get paid, you will receive a lot of contradicting answers. Some of them will argue that it is against the rules of NCAA for players to receive compensation for playing the sports. They are not even allowed to receive gifts from sponsors or else the involved parties will be subjected to disciplinary action by the NCAA. There are also those who will tell you about the ways in which these players receive money. Here we are going to settle this once and for all.

How Do College Football Players Support their Financial Needs?

By the rules of NCAA, they don’t receive professional fees on grounds of amateurism. This means that while they are playing for a particular university, college football players are still considered

Despite the fact that NCAA emphasizes this rule, there are still ways in which players can get the money they need to survive school while playing football. Here are some of the ways:

1. NCAA financial aids

NCAA still looks out for the players who are financially able to support their needs. NCAA provides money to schools so these players will be supported. Added to that is the NCAA initiative to allow their families to attend the College Football Playoff by providing them money for transportation and other expenses such as food and accommodation.

2. Pell Grants

Another form of financial aids, players can get Pell Grants from the federal government. This initiative, like the NCAA student funds, aims to provide support for those students and their families who don’t have the financial capabilities to support their needs. These grants can be very helpful for students. Back in 2017, the Pell Grant that a student can receive can go up to $5,815. These Pell Grants can be enjoyed by the students together with their full scholarship.

3. Employment

Still, under certain rules and regulations, NCAA allows players to be have paying jobs outside their sports, may it be self-employment or otherwise. However, it is important to note that these players may not use any of their personal details connected to being an NCAA athlete. That is to say, they are forbidden to use their name, image, and reputation to promote their business or work. This mode of earning money can be quite hard for the athletes given that they have a lot of things going on already. But despite the difficulty, there are still many of them who are forced to do this to support themselves.

4. Postseason Awards

Players can also get money from postseason awards given by a sponsoring bowl or their own school. You will note that we mentioned a little about receiving gifts from outside sources. Although this is forbidden as per NCAA rules, there is an exception given that the gift or the award is given by a bowl for winning a competition or granted by the school for their exemplary performance or participation.

Although college football players are restricted by NCAA rules and regulations in terms of earning while they are playing for their school, there are a lot of ways for them to get money. Aside from what we have mentioned earlier, players are also provided money for competitions on an international level.